Two Restaurant Industry Powerhouses Fight for a MORE Inclusive & Sustainable Future

Guests: Mary Sue Milliken & Liz Murray

Description:

Restaurants aren’t just places to eat—they’re where over 55% of U.S. food dollars are spent. They shape what gets grown, what’s cooked, who gets paid, and how our communities gather. But the middle of the industry—the locally loved, mission-driven, community-based restaurants—is disappearing fast.

In this episode, I sit down with powerhouse advocates Mary Sue Milliken and Liz Murray—founders of MORE (Movement to Organize for Restaurant Equity)—to unpack the crisis restaurants are facing and why it matters to everyone who eats.

We talk about:

• The disappearing middle ground between fast food and fine dining
• Why immigrant labor, economic mobility, and parenting are all restaurant issues
• What diners don’t see behind their favorite neighborhood spot
• And how advocacy, policy change, and collaboration are reshaping the future of food from the back of house out

If you’ve ever eaten out (which of course you have), supported a local farmer (here's hoping), or wondered what’s really driving our food system—this episode is for you.

Find out more about MORE here.

Find out more about Mary Sue Milliken and Liz Murray here.

Find out more about your host and the For Farmers Movement here.